Secret Sympathies
by Shade's Ninde
Summary: Five times someone discovered Kaldur didn't need their pity, and one time someone knew all along.  Roy/Kaldur, sides of Supermartian, Art/Zee and mild Wally/Dick.
1. Robin

__I don't own Young Justice. Once again, this was written in response to a prompt on the anon meme.

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><p><strong>Secret Sympathies<strong>

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><p><em>It's not like him.<em>

Robin repeated this to himself as he typed in a few choice lines of code, halfway through hacking the Cave's zeta-tube records.

_He's pulling away from us._

Sure, Kaldur was entitled to a life outside the team, but he'd been gone a whole lot recently. And when anyone asked where he was spending all his time, he always managed to redirect the question in that quiet, polite Atlantean way he had. To be honest, Robin was a little worried that Kaldur was feeling disconnected from them, separated by age and culture. And really, he just didn't want him to feel lonely.

_I'm investigating for the sake of the team._

It wasn't just curiosity. Really. They couldn't have their leader all despondent and isolated, now, could they?

"Gotcha," the Boy Wonder grinned, hitting one last key and watching as charts and profiles began blossoming across the main screen. He kept one hand on the escape button, just in case; you never knew when Wally was going to come downstairs for a midnight snack, if Wally was even here…well, he could always find out. But he was more curious about their dear leader.

"Computer, bring up all data for Aqualad, B-02."

The machine acquiesced, and Robin looked over the statistics with a critical eye, putting his feet up on the console as he read. _Weird. _Only a single visit to Atlantis in the last month. So much for that theory. Robin read on, looking for anything that could explain where Kaldur kept disappearing to.

_24 transports to Star City? _

He raised an eyebrow. Okay, _that _was weirder than not visiting Atlantis. Why on earth would Kaldur be on that end of the world? Maybe he'd been trying to investigate further into Artemis's background, after that unfortunate meeting in which Roy had outed her little secret. But no – Robin frowned as he checked it – the start of visits predated that encounter. By several months. It seemed Kaldur had made the trip at least twice a week for the last third of a year, with the visits increasing in frequency in the recent past. And he certainly couldn't be visiting Artemis herself there, since she didn't actually live in Star City.

But someone else did.

"Computer, show me Red Arrow's stats. B-06."

Obliging, computer displayed the data.

"I _so_ do not remember that," Robin frowned, looking over Roy's records for the last few weeks. According to the computer, the archer had visited twice in the last two, but Robin sure didn't recall seeing their old buddy around.

"Computer, do you keep time-specific records?"

As Robin had muted the computer's voice technology (it was four in the morning, after all, and he wasn't _trying _to get found out), the computer responded by simply adding times to the logs.

"Not creepy at all, Roy," Robin frowned. The first time, the archer had arrived at 2:30 AM. The second, he'd come at a respectable 4:00 PM, but the team had been out on a training expedition then, and he hadn't actually left until 5:30 AM the next morning.

This required further investigation. But right now, Robin needed to sleep – they had a mission tomorrow, and though he was still working on the whole Being Batman thing, he didn't quite have the days-on-end-with-no-rest thing down just yet.

So it was the next weekend that he pulled on his civvies and his sunglasses (Dick Grayson couldn't be caught snooping around; it was bad press) and caught a zeta-tube to Star City to find some answers. It wasn't hard to find Roy's apartment – since he already knew his secret identity, he'd just had to hack the district property records, which had been a piece of cake. Government offices always had the worst security . From there, he'd staked the place with his binoculars out from the roof of the next building over for a few hours until finally, Roy had left (alone).

Then he'd drop-lined down and moved in for phase two.

As he stood at the door, trying to look as casual as possible, Robin pulled a small key-like item from his pocket and inserted into the lock. He gave it a few expert twists and flicks, then there was a _click_ and the door swung ajar. Checking first to see that no one was watching, Robin slipped inside and shut the door behind him, careful to lock it so that if Roy returned he'd have bought himself a few extra seconds to bail.

"All right," Robin muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together and looking around the place. "Sleuthing time."

Well. For starters, the whole apartment was clean. From what he remembered of Roy, that was uncharacteristic, but the change could be attributed to any number of things. It wasn't conclusive evidence.

Two toothbrushes in the bathroom, one red-handled, one blue. A solid indication that someone else was here regularly enough to have his or her own.

The shower set to cold. Either Roy was some kind of masochist…or someone who liked it a little colder had used it last.

A full bed in the inner room. Who needed a full bed? Okay, so it was more comfortable than a twin, but judging from the rest of the flat, Roy was on a budget, so why splurge on a larger bed than he strictly needed?

_Because he doesn't always sleep in it alone,_ Robin answered himself with eyes narrowed suspiciously. He didn't check the drawers after that conclusion. That felt a little too invasive.

Also, there some things he just didn't really need (or want) to know.

_Okay. So, very strong evidence that Roy is seeing someone. And situational evidence that it could be Kaldur. But…what the hell? Roy and Kaldur? Really?_

On second thought, it wasn't that weird.

Robin pondered it as he rooted through Roy's pantry – yeah, okay, that weird Atlantean seaweed shit Kaldur loved was in there – the two of them had always been pretty close, and they had a lot in common: a strong dedication to the cause, a lack of family and friends outside the hero community, and a severe deficiency in the sense of humor department.

Well. As long as Kaldur was happy, who really gave a damn?

Just then, a key scraped in the lock. _Crap._ Who had known Roy would be back so soon? Robin bolted for the nearest window, throwing it open and pulling his grappling gun from beneath his coat. In seconds, he was gone, the chill breezing through the kitchen the only sign he'd been there at all.

From his spot, suspended upside down from his hook line above the window, Robin listened carefully.

"Could have sworn I shut that," Roy's voice was muttering.

Then someone else, just before someone pushed the window shut:

"You know I do not mind a little cold, my friend."


	2. Wally, et al

"Dude, Zatanna, you're _awesome," _Wally enthused, checking himself out in the mirror. He looked about five years older, and – dare he say it – quite dashing. No pun intended. All right, so it was a bit of a bummer that she'd lightened his hair to blond, and that his freckles had apparently disappeared with age, but the point was to be unrecognizable, and she'd accomplished that well enough. Besides, being someone else for a night was kind of cool.

The young sorceress grinned, pulling her now waist-length hair into a sleek, high ponytail.

"I've been waiting forever for an excuse to use this spell," she remarked, turning to Artemis. "You ready?"

"I don't know about this…" Artemis frowned uncertainly, arms folded over her chest.

"Come on, Arty, it'll be fun," Robin prodded, nudging her arm. "It's our night off. Loosen up a little. Would you rather be back at the Cave with M'gann and Conner?"

She made a face.

"Okay, okay, good point. You win. I'm in. Go ahead, 'Tanna."

Her friend closed her eyes and uttered a few words, and Artemis had the distinctly odd sensation of growing, of filling out in places she hadn't thought she needed to fill out any more, and when she looked in the mirror it was practically someone else – someone distinctly older than she was. She actually looked sort of like her sister with this dark hair…

Zatanna turned to Robin next, and to their surprise, once she had aged him up a little, he actually took off his sunglasses, shrugging.

"This isn't my real face," he laughed, slipping them into his front pocket. "Look all you want."

"Don't tempt me," Zatanna teased, and the four of them headed out.

When they arrived, the club was busy but not yet too crowded. The bouncer scanned their magically altered ID's without much interest, then waved them inside, where they all took stock curiously. Wally had never been to a club before – Central City didn't really have them, and if it did they certainly weren't this swanky, with leather seats and lights spinning across the dancefloor and a bar with more kinds of liquor than seemed strictly necessary. It was pretty exciting, all things considered, even if he didn't plan on drinking any of it.

As the music washed over them, Wally's eyes suddenly alighted on something and he gasped.

"Guys, is that who I think it is?"

He jerked his head in the direction of the bar, where a familiar figure was sitting solitary at the counter.

"Is that…Kaldur?" said Artemis, frowning in concern. "What's he doing here?"

"Relax, he won't be able to tell who we are," Robin shrugged. "Let's just go dance."

"I'm not worried about him recognizing us," Wally said, giving Robin a look. "I'm worried about _him_. You're not at all bothered that our fearless leader is sitting by himself at a bar on a Friday night?"

"That _is _kind of sad," Zatanna agreed, frowning. She didn't know much about Kaldur – her visits with the team had mostly drawn her closer to Wally, Robin and Artemis – but the Atlantean seemed like a nice enough guy. Quiet, kind-hearted. And he looked kind of lonely right now.

"I'm sure he's fine," Robin reassured them.

"I have an idea," Wally said with a sudden grin. "Just give me a minute."

"Whatever you're thinking, it's a terrible plan," said Robin, his this-is-about-to-go-horribly-wrong senses tingling. "Maybe we should just go home. What if the spell wears off?"

"It won't wear off," Zatanna said, looking slightly affronted. "It doesn't work like that. What's your plan, Wally?"

"Oh, you'll see," Wally grinned, slicking his hair back a little and straightening his shirt. "Watch and learn, my friends, watch and learn…"

And before Robin could stop him, Wally had disappeared onto the dance floor and was making his way across the room to the bar, leaving his friend with his face in his hands, afraid to look.

"Oh boy…"

"Hey, gorgeous," Wally said, his voice lower than even he'd expected – Zatanna was thorough. Hiding his own surprise, he slid onto the open barstool beside Kaldur, leaning on the counter casually. "Buy you a drink?"

Kaldur turned, seeming startled at the attention.

"It is a kind offer, but there is no need," he declined politely. His overly formal English seemed even more out of place between the pounding beats of the electronic song currently rocking the dancefloor.

"You sure?" Wally persisted, deliberately letting his eyes flick up and down his friend's frame to make it clear he was checking him out. Damn, okay, Kaldur was actually kind of good-looking. It made no sense that he was still single – someone should have snatched that catch up ages ago.

"Yes, thank you," said Kaldur firmly, turning away.

"Hey, hey, don't be so cold, now," Wally protested, reaching out to catch the Kaldur's arm, which actually _was_ quite cold, but yeah that happened when you were half fish or whatever it was. Turning back, Kaldur frowned and pulled away from Wally's grip,

"I do not mean to be rude, but I am not here to drink," he said.

What? Who came to a bar and didn't drink? And why were there two empty shot glasses in front of him if he wasn't?

Playing it cool, Wally leaned back, giving Kaldur a flirtatious smile.

"That's cool, we can just talk. Haven't seen you around here before…where you from, beautiful?"

Kaldur sighed, glancing out into the room as if looking for an excuse to get up and leave, but he was polite to a fault, and didn't seem willing to flat-out reject Wally's advances.

"Far away," he answered reluctantly.

"Ooh, exotic," Wally grinned. "I like that."

Kaldur looked uncomfortable at that comment, shifting on the stool.

"You're adorable when you blush," Wally cooed, leaning forward. Hell yes. Kaldur was going to feel like a total stud by the time he got through with him. "What's your name?"

"I…oh, no…" Kaldur murmured, his eyes suddenly trained on something over Wally's shoulder. "I mean no disrespect, but you should leave, quickly…"

"What?" Wally asked, turning to follow his friend's gaze just in time to see one Roy Harper making a beeline across the dancefloor towards them, looking somewhere south of pleased. Wait, what the hell…?

"Step off, golden boy," the archer growled as he pushed his way out of the crowd over to them. "He's with me."

It took Wally a solid second to remember his hair was blond, and another to connect the dots and realize Roy was talking to _him_. He rose quickly from the barstool, trying to keep up the act through his total bewilderment.

"Hey man, no harm meant, we were just talking…" he began, raising his hands defensively.

"No," Roy interrupted, stepping around Wally to put himself between him and Kaldur, then cracking his knuckles. "You were flirting. With _my_ man. I said step off."

"Roy, there is no need for this," Kaldur murmured uncomfortably.

"Indulge me," Roy shot back, and Wally suddenly realized that beyond being pissed off and possessive, Roy was also kind of drunk. Jesus. Could this night get any weirder?

"Uh, sorry, dude, I didn't realize he was spoken for," he said, figuring retreat was the best option at that point. Especially given that Roy looked like he was going to deck him any second now. "I'll um, I'll just be going then…"

"Sounds like a plan," Roy said, eyes narrowing. The threat in his voice was unmistakable, and Wally heeded it, turning his back and disappearing back onto the dance floor to go look for the others.

When he finally found them, Artemis was doubled over laughing, held up only by Zatanna, who wasn't doing much better. Robin just shook his head and buried his face in his hands.

"I take it you saw that," Wally muttered, still not sure if he believed actually had. But when he turned to look at the bar once more, it was to see Roy dragging their leader onto the dance floor, a tipsy but genuine smile on his face.

"Yeah, we did," Artemis grinned, wiping her eyes and pulling herself together a little. "Ohhhh yes we did. Still want to 'show us how it's done'?"

Zatanna giggled uncontrollably.

"Yeah uh, about that," Wally said, wrinkling his nose. "Maybe I could show you at, you know, a different club. I have a feeling if I go back down there I'm going to get my ass kicked."

"I tried to warn you," Robin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You knew?" Wally gasped. He looked over at his friend, affronted.

"Duh."

"How?"

"World's second greatest detective," Robin grinned, tapping his forehead. "And also it was really obvious and we should have seen it coming years ago."

Wally blinked, considering that. Finally, he shrugged.

"Fair enough."

"Next club?"

"Next club."

"It's a gay bar."

"You're kidding me."

Robin smirked.

"Duh."


	3. Orin

Kaldur was surprised when he stepped out of the transporter to see Aquaman standing in the entrance to the Cave, his expression grave.

"My king," he said, saluting. "Is something wrong?"

"I cannot yet be sure," Orin replied evenly. "Walk with me, my son."

Concerned and curious, Kaldur nodded and followed his mentor out to the shore of Mount Justice, where the two began a slow walk, side by side. For a long while, they were silent, the only sound that of the waves gently rushing onto and off of the beach, and the cry of the gulls overhead. At last, Orin spoke.

"You have made your home on the surface for nearly a year now, Kaldur'ahm," he said, turning to look at his protégé as. "How do you find it?"

"It is no Atlantis, my king," Kaldur replied respectfully. "But I have grown accustomed to its peculiarities. This world has its charms and its challenges both, as I imagine all worlds must."

"Spoken well, as ever," Orin murmured, turning back to face forward as they walked. He was clearly deep in thought. "That is all true enough. And…you have attachments here? Compatriots with whom you may spend your time when the day's work is done?"

"I have my teammates, and others," said Kaldur cautiously, wondering where this was all going.

"And your teammates, they are also your friends?" Orin wanted to be sure.

"Yes, my liege," Kaldur nodded. "My life here is a rich one. Are you…reconsidering your choice to bring me here?"

"No, no," Orin replied quickly, and Kaldur felt silent relief wash over him. "Nothing like that. You are needed here, with your team, whom you have come to lead admirably. I would be remiss in removing you from a situation in which you have become so essential."

"Thank you, Annex," Kaldur murmured, humbly bowing his head.

They continued to walk for a minute as Orin seemed to search for the right words.

"I came to speak with you because of late, I have not had the opportunity to do so," the king said finally, frowning. "You have not sought my council in some time, Kaldur'ahm, nor Mera's, nor visited your mother in Shayeris, and the Batman has indicated that you spend much time away from this base and out of the company of your team. I worry that you are…pulling away, as the land-dwellers say."

Kaldur cast a glance out to sea.

"My apologies," he said. "I was not my intention to neglect you, or any of the others."

"You misunderstand me, Kaldur," Orin cut in. "My concern is for _you,_ not for any other. It troubles me only in that I do not wish for you to feel alone, or disconnected from your home. You may have made a name for yourself here on the surface, but I would have you remember that you are dear to those below it as well. It would pain me to see you walk the path of Ollie's boy."

Kaldur flushed deeply.

"My king," he began delicately, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck in clear discomfort. "I must be forthcoming."

"You may always speak freely with me," Orin assured him earnestly, turning to look at his student.

"I, ah…" Kaldur began, uncharacteristically flustered. "I have already 'walked the path of Ollie's boy.' So to speak."

Aquaman stopped in his tracks, taken aback. He reached out a hand and placed it on his protégé's shoulder, his expression one of grave concern as Kaldur turned to face him.

"You have renounced your affiliation to the Atlantean throne?" Orin checked, looking dismayed and perhaps even hurt. "When? Why did you not speak to me of this before?"

"No, no, Annex," said Kaldur hurriedly, shaking his head. "That was not my meaning. I apologize – I…I have been unclear. I remain your servant, as ever."

Orin gave a deep sigh of relief, letting his hand fall back to his side and smiling.

"I am glad to hear it, Kaldur. Truly."

Kaldur returned the smile uncomfortably, shifting his weight between his feet on the sand. Sure enough, after a brief moment, Orin's expression faded into a confused frown.

"I am afraid I did not understand you, then. What did you mean to say about young Harper?"

"It is not relevant," said Kaldur, anxious to resume their walk. "I believe I misunderstood your question. It is of no consequence."

"My son…is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Only to reassure you that I do not feel at all cut off from you or from the team," Kaldur replied, rubbing the back of one of his tattoos and avoiding Orin's eyes. "Shall we continue on our way?"

"Kaldur," Orin said sternly. "You are hiding something from me."

"I would never do such a thing, Annex."

"Then you must tell me – if it was not your intent to express a rejection of my mentorship, what _was _your intended meaning?"

Realizing he couldn't possibly stall or avoid the question any longer, Kaldur bit his lip.

"Despite my many years of study in English, my grasp is not yet…complete," he explained as tactfully as possible, realizing his face was probably quite red. "I misinterpreted your turn of phrase, thinking it to mean something you clearly did not intend. It was my mistake."

"But what…" Orin began, brow furrowed in perplexity, when suddenly his eyes widened. "I…I see."

There was a very long, very awkward period of silence in which Aquaman stared at his protégé, red-faced, and Kaldur stared determinedly at the mountain behind his mentor's shoulder, vaguely wishing a crisis – aliens, monkeys, M'gann's burning cookies, _anything – _would crop up and demand their intervention.

"I see," Orin finally repeated, turning to resume their walk.

"I…I am quite content with surface life," Kaldur said, attempting to return to their earlier topic. He skipped a step to catch up with his mentor, neither daring to look at the other.

"Very good," Orin replied distractedly.

They continued the rest of their hike in silence, and Kaldur had never been more relieved to see the mouth of the Cave waiting for him. As they re-entered the mountain side by side, Orin turned at the zeta-tubes and paused a moment.

"Kaldur'ahm," he spoke before his protégé could escape upstairs. Kaldur turned to face his king expectantly.

"Yes, my king?"

"Is he kind to you?"

Kaldur's eyes dropped to the ground. He nodded.

"Yes, Annex," he murmured embarrassedly.

"Good," Orin nodded. "Because if ever he is not…Ollie be damned, that boy _will_ know the full might of Atlantis, and he will not soon forget it."

Before Kaldur could respond, the tubes were lighting up, whisking his mentor away, and he was left alone with his burning cheeks and the urge to go hide in some deep dark corner of the ocean until the humiliation was old enough to be bearable.

It was good to be cared about. But sometimes…


	4. M'gann and Conner

"Dude, she's such a little shit. Why's he keep making the googly eyes?" Wally complained through a mouthful of popcorn. "The dragon is so much cooler."

(On-screen, Hiccup was babbling as he tried to prevent Astrid from discovering Toothless.)

"You're clearly just threatened by powerful women," Artemis shot back, then yawned. Zatanna was already dozing in Kaldur's lap, covered in the blanket M'gann had telekinetically draped over her, and Robin didn't seem far off, leaning a little too heavily on Wally's shoulder.

"I am not," Wally protested. "I have no problem with strong broads, just mean ones."

"Look, the fact that you refer to them as 'strong broads' already shows that you – "

"Shut up, both of you," Robin mumbled sleepily. "I'm trying to watch a dragon here. I mean a movie."

Wally raised an eyebrow.

"Is it bedtime for the Boy Wonder?"

"I can break your legs," Robin yawned, pushing Wally onto his side and shifting to use his friend's stomach as a pillow. Before Wally could complain, Robin was settled in and clearly headed to sleep, whether or not that was convenient for anyone else.

"You're a little shit too," Wally grumbled, but no one in the room missed the affection in his tone.

_It's been a while since we had the whole team here for anything but training, _Conner remarked to M'gann through their selective telepathic link.

The Martian smiled, snuggling into the arm he had around her.

_It's nice, _she agreed. _And Zatanna too. Everyone just feels so…happy._

_Even Kaldur?_ Conner asked, casting a glance over at the Atlantean. Artemis had rested her head on his shoulder, propping herself up on his solid frame so she too could nod off; Kaldur had one arm around her shoulder to steady her, while his other hand rested gently on Zatanna's back as the young sorceress slept. He didn't seem to mind that the two girls had effectively turned him into an extension of the couch.

_Why wouldn't he be? _asked M'gann.

_I don't know,i/ _Conner shrugged. _He's just been…different, lately. Distracted. Zones out a lot. Kinda hard to tell with him, but I just hope he isn't…you know. Lonely._

M'gann considered that for a moment. Kaldur _did _look like he was spacing out, staring past the TV and at the wall behind it with a vacant expression on his face, but it didn't look like a bad kind of spacing out to her. Then again, she was no expert in Earthling body language. Focusing her empathic abilities on the trio across the way, she tried to get a more direct feel for his state of mind.

_I don't sense anything wrong, but…I don't know. It could be Arty and Zatanna's feelings interfering with my reading,_ she said to Conner.

_It's probably nothing, _he replied, rubbing her arm. _Don't worry about it._

_I can go a little deeper,_ M'gann offered.

_Or we could just ask him…_

_It'll just take a second. He won't even notice._

And without waiting for a response, M'gann slipped into the shallows of Kaldur's mind.

The first thing that struck her was that he was indeed happy – very happy. Surprisingly happy. Far happier than his stoic demeanor had let on from the outside, actually. She was only getting her feet wet in his surface feelings for the moment, but they were powerful enough to indicate something deeper, and to pique her curiosity.

She knew she wasn't supposed to read people's minds, but the team felt so comfortable here, falling asleep on top of one another in the dark of the rec room as the TV light flickered across their faces. They all just felt so close, their feelings so accessible to her, it hardly seemed like it would be any different to take just a little peek into Kaldur's thoughts…

It was a memory – you could always tell, because daydreams were fuzzier and missing details, but this was sharp, and recent, and similar enough to their current situation that M'gann had to think it had been triggered by the evening's events.

Soft darkness, fog at the windows, warmth and a wavering light before his eyes, a comfortable weight against his chest. But the light wasn't a television – it was a fire, burning gently in a modest fireplace, and the weight wasn't Artemis or Zatanna, it was a man, and even through the faint haze of the memory M'gann could feel Kaldur's affection, quiet and warm but strong as his partner reclined against him, a soft blanket draped over their legs.

M'gann was desperately curious to know the identity of Kaldur's mystery man, but his face was hidden to her; all she could see from Kaldur's eyes was the top of his head – short, red hair – and the sharp, scarred musculature of his shoulders. And besides, she knew she had already overstepped her bounds. This was clearly a private moment, and she'd already stayed too long.

_Everything okay? _Conner asked as she withdrew.

_Yes, _M'gann smiled, cozying up against his side. _Everything's wonderful._

(A week later, Conner asked her the question again, when Red Arrow showed up at the Cave to request intel assistance with a Star City smuggling ring and she couldn't stop staring at his shoulders.)

_You have no idea._


	5. Garth and Tula

"Garth, we have to," Tula pressed, leaning forward to cover his hand with her own on the table. "We cannot avoid the issue forever."

"No, but we can at least wait for him to address it first," Garth frowned, avoiding her eyes. He didn't like this idea. "He will come when he is ready. We should not force him to discuss anything before he wants to."

"It has been months," said Tula flatly. "He has returned but three times since then, and each time he has gone straight home to Shayeris. He is avoiding us. And you know it is the reason, Garth. You know."

Garth sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I do not think it wise," he argued, though there was uncertainty in his tone now. "These things take time. We were wrong to keep it from him for so long – it only made the blow harder, and the wound worse. It is the honorable thing to do to wait, to give him a chance to heal, and to come to us when he is ready."

"Perhaps he has moved on," Tula suggested.

Garth shook his head.

"I have known him since he first arrived at the Academy, Tula," he said. "He is slow to trust, slow to feel and slow to forget. If I know Kaldur, he will be dwelling on this for a long while yet."

"Then we have to go to him," Tula said softly, squeezing Garth's hand. "He doesn't have anyone else. The land people will never understand him as we do. Think of how lonely he must be."

Cringing, Garth rubbed his eyes with his free hand, clearly agitated. For a moment, he said nothing. But at last he relented, nodding and turning his hand over to hold Tula's.

"All right. We will go."

With a smile, Tula rose, leaning across the table to plant a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Thank you. I won't forget this."

* * *

><p>Conner looked up in mild surprise as the east zeta-transporter suddenly glowed white and the computer announced two unfamiliar names. He was sitting at the dining room table, which was still out in the Cave after last night's "team feast," drinking a tall mug of coffee and perusing the morning's newspaper.<p>

(The feast had been M'gann's idea and execution, and with the exception of Roy and Artemis's spectacular "arrow physics" argument – Wally had had to intervene in the name of Science – it had actually gone quite well.)

"Can I help you?" he asked, looking over the newcomers – strangely dressed, noble posture, webbed hands. Atlanteans. If they were allowed through the transporter, they had to be allies, but he'd never seen them before.

"We are looking for Kaldur'ahm," said the boy, stepping towards the table. Conner's eyes flicked to where his hand was wrapped around the girl's.

"Yeah I figured," he grunted. If they were there from Atlantis, who else would they be looking for?

"We…is he here?" said the girl, seeming surprised by his brusqueness.

"Who are you?" Conner asked bluntly.

"We are Kaldur's friends, from the Academy in Poseidonis," the boy replied. "My name is Garth, and this is Tula."

"Oh," said Conner, a look of recognition passing across his face. "Yeah, he's uh…he's here."

He took a long sip of his coffee as the two Atlanteans stared at him expectantly.

"We would like to speak with him," said Tula at last. She glanced at Garth. What was wrong with this land-dweller? He seemed to lack all semblance of social grace.

Conner swallowed his coffee and took his time licking his lips. Then he leaned his chair back, looking around the room as if searching for something to distract himself.

"Think he's kind of busy," he said finally.

"Maybe we should come back another time," Garth murmured into Tula's ear, clearly not realizing he was in the presence Superman's clone, who could hear him perfectly well. "I am unsure we are welcome here."

"You can sit down if you want," Conner offered. "Coffee? Tea? Um, fish?"

They stared at him. He blinked.

"Not fish, then."

Just then, Artemis and Zatanna came down the stairs from the living quarters, both in their pajamas; Artemis had her arm about the younger girl's waist and was busy whispering something into her ear, something that was making Zee blush, when they both noticed the newcomers and stopped abruptly.

"Morning. Either of you seen Kaldur?" Conner asked, looking up at the two of them.

"Seen?" Artemis smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Not since last night, but we sure h-mmph!"

Zatanna had clapped a hand over the blonde's mouth, her face bright red.

"Um, please ignore her," she said, clearly holding back a giggle. "No uh, I'd have to assume he's still in…in bed. Probably. Why do you ask, Conner?"

"Visitors."

"Ah," said Zatanna, smiling a little uncertainly at Garth and Tula. "Yeah, uh…last I knew, he was still…um. In bed."

"That is most unusual," said Garth, frowning. "I have never known Kaldur to sleep so late."

"He had a long night," said Artemis, her face absolutely straight. Yet as she continued down the rest of the stairs, Zatanna trailing behind her, both girls burst into laughter once again.

Tula turned back to Conner, mystified by land behavior.

"Perhaps you would know a better time to visit."

"Uh, I can go get him if you want," Conner said uncertainly, looking like there were few things in the world he wanted to do less.

"Better you than me," muttered Artemis.

"If you would not mind telling him we have come to visit," entreated Garth, his patience obviously wearing thin, "we would be most appreciative."

With a reluctant nod, Conner rose and headed for the staircase, leaving the two girls to steal his seat (and his coffee).

"So aren't you guys the ones who like, broke Kaldur's heart and then didn't call for a month?" Artemis asked casually, leaning back on the chair.

Tula flushed. Garth just frowned, holding her hand a little tighter. From her seat on Artemis's lap, Zatanna smacked the older girl's leg and gave her a reprimanding look.

"Sorry," she apologized, looking embarrassed. "It's not you. She just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I swear."

"You would know," Artemis smirked.

Conner appeared on the upper landing just then, saving Zatanna the trouble of coming up with a cover for that one.

"Kaldur'll be down in a minute," he announced. "You two, get out of my chair or I'll tell Zatara how much toenail painting actually goes on at your little sleepovers."

Artemis glared daggers but vacated the chair, and the two of them disappeared into the kitchen in search of breakfast. Conner descended the stairs once again and took up his seat, glaring into his empty coffee cup. With a sigh, he leaned back, waited a moment, and addressed Garth and Tula once more.

"You wanna sit down?"

"We are fine standing, thank you."

Conner shrugged and picked his newspaper back up, flipping to the next page once he'd found his place. There was a long silence in which the two Atlanteans just shifted on their feet, sharing an uncomfortable glance and looking around the Cave, and Conner read his newspaper indifferently. Then it was broken as Roy appeared on the upper landing, deftly buttoning his shirt up as he hurried down the stairs with a predictably peeved look on his face.

"That was quick," Conner grunted without looking up. Exiting the stairs, Roy flipped him the bird, picked up his motorcycle helmet from its place by the zeta-tubes and stepped into the transporter, which whisked him away without another word.

The clone sighed and set his paper aside.

"Yeah. Just uh…just give him a minute."

Tula glanced at Garth, wide-eyed. For his part, Garth was trying his best not to look too shocked, but he was still staring over at the transporter like _it _was the one banging his best friend.

"Did you finish off the granola?" asked Artemis suddenly, popping her head into the Cave.

"No," said Conner. "Did you finish off my coffee?"

"Uhh…"

As Artemis ducked guiltily back into the kitchen, Kaldur appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants, skin still damp and glistening from a shower. When he caught sight of his friends down below, a brief expression of surprise passed across his face, but it quickly melted into concern.

"Tula, Garth," he greeted, making his way down the stairs. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," Garth reassured his friend, smiling awkwardly as they clasped arms.

"We had not heard from you in a long while," Tula offered in way of explanation, returning Kaldur's warm hug and stepping back. "We were worried for you."

"But we see you have been…ah…busy," Garth added quickly.

Kaldur smiled, looking between the two of them.

"Yes, the team has been especially active as of late," he apologized. "And I had assumed your studies would keep you likewise occupied, my friends. I am sorry. I hope you did not take my absence as an expression of distance – it was not meant as such."

"Of course not," lied Tula, smiling. "Have we come at a bad time?"

"No, no," Kaldur replied, waving her off. "It has been too long since we have had the luxury of time together. Could I convince you to stay for breakfast?"

"No, we should really – " Garth began, even as Tula delivered an enthusiastic "Of course," and the two shared an awkward look.

But Kaldur seemed not to notice Garth's response, and gestured for his friends to follow him to the kitchen. As they walked over, Tula took up his arm with an excited smile.

"You must tell us everything that has happened since we last met," she insisted, following him closely.

"I do not wish to bore you with unnecessary detail about surface life," Kaldur deflected with a demure smile.

Garth, trailing behind the other two, gave a forced laugh.

"You are entitled to your secrets, brother," he said.

From behind the newspaper, Conner snorted.


	6. The One Who Knew

"Kaldur'ahm," Sha'lain'a greeted, clasping her son in an embrace almost as warm as her smile. "Welcome home. It has been too long."

Kaldur returned both the hug and the smile as she ushered him into their house. It was every bit as small and tidy and pleasant as he remembered, and he breathed in the scent of his mother's favorite seaweed tea as he swam through the entryway to sit down in the living area.

"I apologize for my long absence," he said as his mother took a seat on the soft coral bench opposite him. "I had intended to visit sooner, but other matters distracted me, and I forgot even to send word. I hope you have not been too worried."

"Of course not," she reassured him. "You are a soldier and a grown man, Kaldur. A few weeks' silence from you does not trouble me."

"In that case, I hope you have not been too lonely without me," Kaldur teased gently. His mother laughed, shaking her head; her golden curls rippled in the water.

"As dear as you are to me, Kaldur, you know I have a rich life here," she replied. "But you have traveled a long way just to come home – to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Am I not allowed to return home just to see my mother?"

Sha'lain'a arched one eyebrow.

"Certainly," she said. "But you are hardly one for casual visits, Kaldur'ahm."

Kaldur hesitated a moment, then sighed and gave a rueful smile.

"You know me too well."

"I have had some time to get acquainted," she reminded him. "What business brings you back to Shayeris, then?"

Shifting in his seat, Kaldur hesitated, a strange mixture of excitement and trepidation crossing his face for a moment.

"I…have something I wish to tell you," he said at last.

"Then by all means, do."

Kaldur took a big breath.

"I am seeing someone."

Sha'lain'a stared at him expectantly.

"A land-dweller," he added.

Her expression did not change.

"A man."

Still nothing.

"Mother?"

"Yes?" she asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"Do you…disapprove?"

He was uncharacteristically uneasy, unnerved by her lack of a reaction.

"Oh, no, not at all," she said. "I am sorry. I was waiting for you to finish."

"I was finished," he said, rubbing the back of his arm in confusion.

"Kaldur…" began Sha'lain'a, her expression amused but gentle. "It is sweet of you to come all this way to tell me these things, but I have known most of that for some time now."

He blinked, utterly lost now.

"What?"

"I am not blind, _kopsari_," she told him, using an old nickname for her 'little fish.' "I have been in love before too, you know – I know what it looks like. And I am your mother. Did you think I would not notice?"

"But…when?" he asked, trying to process this. How long had she known?

"When you came home last, and the time before that," said Sha'lain'a. "I could tell."

"How?"

"Kaldur," his mother laughed, taking in his bewilderment. "You are not half so subtle as you think you are. You drift and you daydream and you smile too much. Not many could have mistaken it, least of all your own mother."

"Why…why did you not tell me you knew before?"

It would have saved him several weeks of internal debate.

"Your life is your own," Sha'lain'a replied. "I assumed that when the time was right, you would come to me. And you have."

She gave him a warm smile, reaching out to place her hand on her son's knee. After a moment's hesitation, he took it in his own, a strange sense of relief washing over him. He had envisioned this conversation over and over again, but never had he imagined it going like this – it was better than he'd thought. Much better.

"Now, Kaldur'ahm," said his mother with mock sternness, "you cannot bait me with trifles I already knew. You must tell me about this land-dwelling man."

Kaldur gave a shy smile, averting his gaze to the floor.

"His name is Roy," he said as his mother leaned in expectantly. "Roy Harper. He is…a friend of the team. An ally."

"Another sidekick?"

"Not exactly."

"But a soldier like you? A warrior?"

"Yes. A gifted archer."

Sha'lain'a nodded her approval, settling back in her seat.

"And is he a good man?"

"Most of the time," Kaldur laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. His mother raised an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I…never mind. It is difficult to explain. You would understand if you met him."

"I would like to."

Sha'lain'a's tone was absolutely serious.

Kaldur considered that a moment, pondering the logistics of such an arrangement. His mother did not often travel to the surface world, but there was no convenient way to bring Roy to Atlantis, either, at least not yet.

"You need not figure it all out now, Kaldur'ahm," his mother told him, interrupting his thoughts as she rose from her seat. "You have traveled far to come here. You must be hungry. Let me make you something to eat."

With a soft, grateful smile, Kaldur abandoned his thoughts, then stood and followed his mother towards the kitchen.

"You really knew, all this time?" he had to ask as they drifted through the room.

"Of course," Sha'lain'a replied, laying a warm hand on her son's shoulder. "Only a fool could miss it."


End file.
